Garment-suspending means



Oct. 25, 1966 L. FRL JHWIRTH GARMENT-SUSPENDING MEANS Filed May 11, 1964 LEOPOLD FRUHWIR TH /kqqq Fig.2

C QC C Q63 AGENT United States Patent 3,280,405 GARMENT-SUSPENDING MEANS Leopold Fruhwirth, Prinz Eugenstrasse 34/8, Vienna, Austria Filed May 11, 1964, Ser. No. 366,385 Claims. (Cl. 2107) The present invention relates to a device for the temporary fastening of a relatively heavy lower garment, such as a pair of slacks, trousers or a skirt, to a relatively light garment, such as a shirt or blouse and to the suspension of lower garments to upper garments in general.

It is well known that shirts and blouses adapted to be held by a waistband and collectively termed shirtwaist herein, frequently have a tendency to ride up and overhang the waistband of the slacks or shirt. This occurrence, known as ballooning seriously detracts from the appearance of the wearer. Attempts have been made to counteract this tendency by providing the inner circumference of the waistband of the lower garment with some means of adhesion, such as a thin layer of foam rubber; however, the adhesion so provided has not been found, for the most part, to be sufiicient.

Other means tried for this purpose include hooks or buttons for joining the garments. Additionally, these latter expedients were intended to eliminate the need for unsightly suspenders and, where an especially trim waistline was desired, the need for belts. Since the weight of the relatively heavy lower garment (i.e. slacks or skirt) was suspended, in these cases, from very limited areas of the relatively light upper garment (i.e. shirt or blouse) via the fastening means, pronounced creases often appeared in the material of the upper garment.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for removably suspending a lower garment from an upper one, such means being free from the drawbacks outlined above.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a fastening device of the character outlined which will evenly distribute the strain exerted by the lower garment on the upper garment.

Accordingly I provide, in an upper garment (e.g. shirtwaist) a generally horizontal pleat or tuck in which I removably dispose a stiffening and reinforcing means, such as a strip of a plastic material or of metal. The tuck is produced by folding the material of the upper garment first up towards the collar, thereby forming an upwardly open U-shaped channel, and then folding the fabric down and away from the collar, thus forming a second, downwardly open U-channel alongside the first one. Seams can then be run along the upper and lower edges of the channels, with the upper seam being interrupted at longitudinally spaced locations to form a plurality of openings. A transverse access slot can be cut in the outermost channel to permit the insertion therein of the removable reinforcin-g strip. Hooks provided on the inside of the slacks or skirt waistband may then be received in the openings of said uppermost seam and will securely hold the upper and lower garments together.

It will be understood that the tuck may extend completely around the upper garment, or that it may be provided over any part of the waist portion. If the tuck is discontinuous, i.e. in pleat sections, the number of reinforcing strips must, of course, correspond in number to that of the pleats. To avoid accidental loss of the reinforcing strips I prefer in this case to locate the transverse access slot a short distance (e.g. 2 to 3 cm.) away from one of the ends of the respective sections; upon insertion the end of the strip is then slid past the slot and the chance of loss is thus diminished.

Garments joined with my device are securely held together without the need for additional means, such as belts 3,230,405 Patented Oct. 25, 1966 ice or suspenders. Owing to the distribution of the weight of the lower garment over much or all of the circumference of the upper garment, the formation of creases or wrinkles in the latter is virtually eliminated, as is ballooning of the upper garment, and the wearer presents a neat and trim apparance.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the attached drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a shirtwaist embodying my invention; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, taken on the line 11-11 thereof.

FIG. 1 shows a shirt 1 in which two pleats 5, 5 constitute the tuck and are formed by folding the material of the garment in the region of the waist first upwardly, thereby forming an inner U-shaped open channel 9 and then downwardly, forming an outer inversely U-shaped open channel 10. Channel 9 is closed at the top by an intermittent seam 11 which forms a plurality of spaced openings 8; channel 10, which is open downwardly, is closed by a throughgoing seam 12. A transverse opening 4 is provided in each channel 10 of the sections 5, 5' and respective reinforcing strips of a suitable plastic material or metal are inserted therethrough. The waistband of a pair of slacks 7 is provided with hooks 6 which are downwardly engageable with the openings 8 of channel 9. Since the hooks and, consequently, the weight of the slacks 7, rests on the strips 2, the weight is substantially evenly distributed therealong and the slacks 7 are securely fastened to shirt 1 without the use of belts or suspenders and without creating unsightly creases in the shirt material.

It is believed that the invention as here disclosed is capable of adaptation for certain other related purposes, such as securing and supporting hose, jackets and pants of childrens snow suits, ski apparel, etc. The illustrative embodiment shown herein is therefore not to be considered limiting; the scope of the invention being solely defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, an upper garment, a lower garment, said garments having relatively juxtaposed lower and upper surfaces respectively, and means for releasably joining said upper and lower garments at said juxtaposed surfaces, said means comprising a substantially horizontal tuck on one of said surfaces, said tuck having an upper and a lower edge and longitudinally spaced openings along one of said edges while defining an elongated span therebetween; removable reinforcing means in said elongated space defined by said tuck; and a plurality of hooks secured to the other surface and receivable in said openings of said tuck for suspending the lower garment from the upper garment.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said reinforcing means comprises an elongated strip of a relatively flexible material.

3. In combination, an upper garment, a lower garment, and means for releasably joining said garments, said means comprising a substantially horizontal tuck on the outside of the lower portion of said upper garment forming an upwardly open inner U-shaped channel and a downwardly open outer U-shaped channel alongside one another, said tuck having an upper and a lower edge; respective upper and lower seams extending along said edges and through said tuck into the underlying portion of said upper garment, said upper seam being interrupted for defining a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings leading to said inner channel; said tuck having a slot extending transversely thereof and communicating with said outer channel; removable reinforcing means including an elongated strip of a relatively flexible material in said outer channel and withdrawable through said slot; and a plu- 4 raIity of hooks secured to the inside of vthe upper portion References Cited by the Examiner of said lower garment and downwardly insertable into said UNITED STATES PATENTS openings of said upper seam for suspending the lower gar- 729,785 6/1903 McColl 2-107 from the F garment 5 817,417 4/1906 Clarke 2 1o7 4. The combination defined 1n cleum 3 wherein said 819,166 5/1906 Phillips tuck comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced 7 pleats, each provided with individual reinforcing means. FOREIGN PATENTS 5. The combination defined in claim 4 wherein said 330,506 10/1935 Italy.

upper garment is a shirtwaist and said pleats are disposed along 21 waist portion of said shirtwaist at least in the front 10 JORDAN FRANKLIN Prmary Exammer' thereof. A. R. GUEST, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, AN UPPER GARMENT, A LOWER GARMENT, SAID GARMENTS HAVING RELATIVELY JUXTAPOSED LOWER AND UPPER SURFACES RESPECTIVELY, AND MEANS FOR RELEASABLY JOINING SAID UPPER AND LOWER GARMENTS AT SAID JUXTAPOSED SURFACES, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL TUCK ON ONE OF SAID SURFACES, SAID TUCK HAVING AN UPPER AND A LOWER EDGE AND LONGITUDINALLY SPACED OPENINGS ALONG ONE OF SAID EDGES WHILE DEFINING AN ELONGATED SPAN THEREBETWEEN; REMOVABLE REINFORCING MEANS IN SAID ELONGATED SPACE DEFINED BY SAID TUCK; AND A PLURALITY OF HOOKS SECURED TO THE OTHER SURFACE AND RECEIVABLE IN SAID OPENINGS OF SAID TUCK FOR SUSPENDING THE LOWER GARMENT FROM THE UPPER GARMENT. 